LUCKY STRIKE

Step into this 1989-established Keith McNally dining room, and you might feel like you’ve entered a friend’s house – provided that your friend loves French film and well-worn antiques. A décor replete with these and other ornate touches is where American Continental and French food are served to SoHo scenesters and industry insiders. Generous cocktails are also one of their calling cards – and after a few of their Lucky Lemonades (Ketel One Citron, cranberry juice, lemonade and mint), stick around for some of the best thin-crust pizzas in Manhattan. The mussels in a tomato broth, beet salad with warm goat cheese, steak au poivre, and French onion soup are also perennial GrandLife favorites (insider’s tip: say yes, always yes, to the freshly-cracked pepper). Conveniently open late, it’s not only a great place to eat up after a raucous night out – you can sleep it all off and return for their high-energy brunch within a few hours. And our favorite part about Lucky Strike? It’s right around the corner from the Soho Grand Hotel.

WHAT THE LOCALS ARE SAYING

VIRGINIA MADSEN, ACTOR

“It's a casual and cool joint with some of the best thin crust pizza in the city. The crowd is eclectic and fun and of all ages. I've been going there since the early 90's and I try to always drop in to begin my NYC experience. You can dig it early or late. As Sinatra said, 'Memories are made of this...”